You don't know, 'til you know!

Alex visits the Great Wall during his studies in China.

My first haircut in Asia. What an experience. After receiving odd looks as I walked into the barber's shop on campus I was ushered to have my hair washed. 

I'm pretty sure I counted four intervals of wash and rinse. Maybe she was just collecting herself for what was about to happen, I don’t know because the language barriers prevented us from the typical friendly chit-chat that so often accompanies a haircut. 

Once sitting me down she gave me a magazine of haircuts and perms, none of these looking like anything I wanted but it was too late too turn back. I made my best effort to describe what I was looking for using a combination of hand gestures and visual aids but soon I would find out it would not be enough. 

As hard as it is to believe that there is a haircut out there that would make me any less beautiful I think I had found it! But if there's anything my parents have told me, “it's what's on the inside that counts.”

Alex Boot is a fourth-year business student at Wilfrid Laurier University. He attended the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology during the fall term of 2010.